Pharmaceutical company Novartis rolled out new branding last month in the wake of its spin-off of generic drugs business Sandoz, showing off what it calls its status as a forward-looking medicine company.
“We have moved from being a healthcare conglomerate to being entirely focused on innovative medicines,” said Sreejit Mohan, Novartis global head of corporate brand strategy. “It’s a historical moment for the company…and so we felt it was an opportunity to really rethink how we show up as Novartis in the healthcare ecosystem and in society more broadly.”
The Swiss company completed the separation from Sandoz last October.
“What is left now is really where I think Novartis is best suited to succeed in the long run: a pure play innovative medicines company focused on bringing [research and development] efforts and the new medicines we create to markets around the world,” Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan told CNBC.
To promote the branding, the company created a 30-second video in which loved ones embrace one another amidst health struggles.
“We’re with you. When disease changes everything, creating medicine restores possibility and reimagines what is possible,” a narrator says.
The goal of the spots was to show patients “that we are with them, even beyond providing medicines,” Mohan said.
The company also introduced more “biomorphic shapes” into its imagery, as compared to its previous design system, which was “fairly rigid and boxy,” Mohan said.
On social media, the company is promoting the brand identity through its leadership, as well as healthcare provider and patient influencers, among others avenues, Mohan said.
The new branding will help the company to recruit and in “building awareness with partners in the ecosystem, building trust with stakeholders, who are increasingly signaling their desire to work with companies that have a strong corporate brand reputation,” Mohan said.
Interbrand worked on the brand positioning and creative direction of the company, Mohan said. Interpublic Group managed the execution and activation of the new branding.
This article originally appeared on PRWeek US.
